Chelsea under Conte | Let's sign the next Hazard, literally.

Rafa Benitez going to Chelsea was in terms of the fans, a disaster. He could have helped himself by just giving a quick apology for the remarks even if in-sincere.

Rafa would have known it. It'd be like Michael Gray taking the Newcastle job after calling them poor fans and/or pathetic.

Or Wenger taking the Utd job. Both the fans and manager know its a minefield.

I kinda see both sides of the coin re.Rafa and Chelsea. But I dont think all 41k at home games had the same opinion, very unlikely.
You so often are able to see a situation from more than one point of view. Perhaps that's why your posts always sound those of a fair minded neutral.
I knew Salford through its Rugby team and my spell in Hope Hospital many years ago. I digressed but the reasons I mentioned before are the reasons I always
read your posts carefully and consider your arguments.Thanks.
 
Waiting to see some comments from Triple Winning on mighty United performance against 10 Bournemouth men today :D "Only 14 points. Remember the gap, till only 14 points" :D
 
You so often are able to see a situation from more than one point of view. Perhaps that's why your posts always sound those of a fair minded neutral.
I knew Salford through its Rugby team and my spell in Hope Hospital many years ago. I digressed but the reasons I mentioned before are the reasons I always
read your posts carefully and consider your arguments.Thanks.
my dad is a massive chelsea fan so i often see what goes on there through him too. Thanks though :-)
 
my dad is a massive chelsea fan so i often see what goes on there through him too. Thanks though :-)

I agreed with everything you said regarding Rafa.

Many reasonable and honest United fans on this forum. But i may have to unignore TW to see his reaction today :cool:
 
Yeah I think I'd take Sky Sports' calculations over yours mate.




What you two either can't seem to understand or are completely clueless about is that Benitez was one of the most hated opposition managers before he ever got hired by Chelsea. In fact, fans were upset at Roman for disregarding our wishes and hiring him. Maybe you were both too young to remember (and I don't mean that in a disparaging way) so I'll help you remember.

Between 2004 and 2009 the rivalry between Chelsea and Liverpool was intense. It was a lot more intense than our rivalry with United or even Arsenal, probably because we met Liverpool in cup finals and played them in the knockout stages of the Champions League 3 years in a row, got knocked out by them the first two times. If you've been watching football for a while, you'll know that Benitez is the originator of the term "plastic" as used to describe a football fan, in this case Chelsea fans. Having a dig at Chelsea supporters for waving flags during one of our matches against them and saying Liverpool fans support with "heart and passion, not plastic flags" was extremely insulting, utterly classless and totally unnecessary.

In all the years Fergie and Wenger had spats with each other at the height of the United-Arsenal rivalry, neither manager stooped as low as attacking the opposing fans. In all the years Jose has been having a go at Wenger, he has never once attacked Arsenal fans, as easy as that would have been to do. Benitez is a narcissistic cnut who decided he had no problem having a go at fans who paid hard earned money to come support a club they love. He said that right in the middle of an intense rivalry too, which made it even more offensive. And mind, this was barely 2 years after Roman had taken over at Chelsea so the "play thing", "toy club", "fake fans" jokes were all very fresh and that just took it up several levels. Hilarious, by the way, because I'm certain that 80% of Liverpool's 40 and older fan base started supporting Liverpool during their glory days of the 70's, but that's another topic entirely.

But you don't get to insult a whole fan base like that as a manager and then come around expecting us to forget it all of a sudden just because you're trying to be an opportunist, adding Chelsea to your resume for a quick buck to set yourself for whatever other job (and surprisingly getting offended towards the end of his tenure that we'd even think about bringing back Jose rather than keeping him long term, the fat cnut). We had every right to boo him. It wasn't about the football that was being played on the pitch, it was personal. That's the difference here. Even Lampard acknowledged we had every right to have a go at Rafa. Add to the fact that fans were upset RDM wasn't given much time despite the CL and FA Cup victories the previous season (whether you think RDM is a quality manager or not is not the point here).

When he produced the results at the end of the season that he'd been paid good money for, we gave him his credit and he went on his way.

Guess what? We still didn't fly a bloody plane over the Bridge. And you have some real balls right there to say "oh it was only a small section of the fan base flying the plane, it doesn't represent all United fans" but turn around to paint ALL Chelsea fans as racists when 4 racist idiots push a black man off a train in Paris. You want to talk about hypocrisy? Please.
Stopped reading your condescending rubbish. I was the one that stated very clearly that it was a "poisonous union" between Chelsea and Benitez. Too young? Don't make me fecking laugh. Did you not even bother to read my fecking comment?
Edit: paint all Chelsea fans as racist idiots? Please direct your comments to TW if you have an issue with him, don't lazily lump me into your reply. What a tone you take, fecking unreal
 
Stopped reading your condescending rubbish. I was the one that stated very clearly that it was a "poisonous union" between Chelsea and Benitez. Too young? Don't make me fecking laugh. Did you not even bother to read my fecking comment?
Edit: paint all Chelsea fans as racist idiots? Please direct your comments to TW if you have an issue with him, don't lazily lump me into your reply. What a tone you take, fecking unreal

This is fair. I'll just say that TW has blattered on nonsensically for a while about how people giving credit to Conte is somehow disrespectful to Mourinho, and it is frankly tiresome. You don't deserve to be painted with the same brush. Though if I could perhaps defend @Blue Barrett for a moment, responding to TW will literally melt your brain so perhaps his judgement wasn't the best when he posted.

Also, @Blue Barrett you seem a decent chap and you obviously have fantastic taste in football clubs but it's good to remember we're guests here. I do happen to agree with the content of your Benitez post, for what it's worth!
 
This is fair. I'll just say that TW has blattered on nonsensically for a while about how people giving credit to Conte is somehow disrespectful to Mourinho, and it is frankly tiresome. You don't deserve to be painted with the same brush. Though if I could perhaps defend @Blue Barrett for a moment, responding to TW will literally melt your brain so perhaps his judgement wasn't the best when he posted.

Also, @Blue Barrett you seem a decent chap and you obviously have fantastic taste in football clubs but it's good to remember we're guests here. I do happen to agree with the content of your Benitez post, for what it's worth!
Yeah I assume most of the vitriol, if I can call it that, was directed at TW. However, both him and TW seem to be arguing only in extremes. There's no middle ground. Just my two cents, hence I felt the desire to get involved.
Good post anyway, cheers. Points taken too.
 
Stopped reading your condescending rubbish. I was the one that stated very clearly that it was a "poisonous union" between Chelsea and Benitez. Too young? Don't make me fecking laugh. Did you not even bother to read my fecking comment?
Edit: paint all Chelsea fans as racist idiots? Please direct your comments to TW if you have an issue with him, don't lazily lump me into your reply. What a tone you take, fecking unreal
Relax. I responded to you and TW in the same post but most of my reply was towards TW. I only have 5 posts per day at the moment. Maybe I should have differentiated what part was for whom by tagging you two in different parts of it. Oh and forgive me for assuming you were too young to remember the Benitez/Chelsea fans relationship because you obviously seemed to be confused as to why we'd even be having a go at him. Apart from that, I stand by every thing I said.
 
Relax. I responded to you and TW in the same post but most of my reply was towards TW. I only have 5 posts per day at the moment. Maybe I should have differentiated what part was for whom by tagging you two in different parts of it. Oh and forgive me for assuming you were too young to remember the Benitez/Chelsea fans relationship because you obviously seemed to be confused as to why we'd even be having a go at him. Apart from that, I stand by every thing I said.
I appreciate the clarification, obviously if you have limited posts it explains that. However, I initially agreed with much of what you said, so I can't see how you'd think I'd be unable to understand the disdain towards Benitez from Chelsea.
Anyway, no harm done. Cheers
 
Also, @Blue Barrett you seem a decent chap and you obviously have fantastic taste in football clubs but it's good to remember we're guests here.

Yeah, I'd second that for all of us Chelsea fans to remember. The United lads here are great for letting us discuss pretty much anything, but this is still a United forum. Let's not take the piss.
 
Yeah this forum is really kind with guests and sometimes I can see the point of die-hard Utd fans feeling challenged, but what is perceived as a weakness is actually signal of strength, more points of view here being almost all bona fide and adding vitality. That said, trends are better than day-to-day events so it's esrly days for Conte at Chelsea and we will see next year, the burn rate of managers in the PL is astonishing.
 
Yeah, I'd second that for all of us Chelsea fans to remember. The United lads here are great for letting us discuss pretty much anything, but this is still a United forum. Let's not take the piss.
I've had quite a few discussions with all other United fans on here. Probably the only forum more welcoming than The Shed End (among the top teams, ArsenalMania, Blue Moon, The Fighting Cock & RAWK are utter shit shows of delusion), so yes, I agree. Just took it upon myself to shut down the rubbish TW was posting about Chelsea fans. I don't really care much for him as I think he's just having fun trolling but being someone who's lurked on here for at least 6 years (before finally opening an account), it's easy for an innocent lurker's opinion to be swayed by a troll post. But yes, I think I'll control that better.

I appreciate the clarification, obviously if you have limited posts it explains that. However, I initially agreed with much of what you said, so I can't see how you'd think I'd be unable to understand the disdain towards Benitez from Chelsea.
Anyway, no harm done. Cheers
All good mate. :cool:

That said, trends are better than day-to-day events so it's esrly days for Conte at Chelsea and we will see next year, the burn rate of managers in the PL is astonishing.
I think the relationship he maintains with Roman will be key. If he gets his transfer targets I think Conte will be just fine at the helm.
 
I actually prefer it here to Talk Chelsea . The reason . The mods keep a much lower profile and are NON threatening (at least so far).
Was anyone here a member of After Hours , it had seperate forums for different clubs but also common forums . The main club forums were Chelsea and United.
Before streaming existed some fans at the match gave commentaries. Chelsea games by a blind lady called Margaret. NOT joking she was WAS blind but went to all the Chelsea games. This was before Roman arrived so must have been about 53AD. So you see not only Liverpool have "istory".
 
I actually prefer it here to Talk Chelsea . The reason . The mods keep a much lower profile and are NON threatening (at least so far).
Was anyone here a member of After Hours , it had seperate forums for different clubs but also common forums . The main club forums were Chelsea and United.
Before streaming existed some fans at the match gave commentaries. Chelsea games by a blind lady called Margaret. NOT joking she was WAS blind but went to all the Chelsea games. This was before Roman arrived so must have been about 53AD. So you see not only Liverpool have "istory".
Talk Chelsea is a lousy forum mate. Go to The Shed End.
 
Talk Chelsea is a lousy forum mate. Go to The Shed End.
Shedend is even worse mate. Full of that certain type of Chelsea fans that football has tried its best to flush out. Whats worse is that most young folk on there are chav wannabes too.
 
I never understood the vitriol the Chelsea fans expressed towards Benitez until @Blue Barrett broke it down.
A more hated manager couldnt have been appointed . Despite that he did an exciellent job and now far from considering him as the FSW I now look upon him
with great respect and hope to see him bring the Barcodes back to the PL where they truly belong.
 
A more hated manager couldnt have been appointed . Despite that he did an exciellent job and now far from considering him as the FSW I now look upon him
with great respect and hope to see him bring the Barcodes back to the PL where they truly belong.
Yes, what could be wrong with having one more team that raises their game to beat us every time. What could possibly wrong with that.

I'd say let them rot in the pits with that fat feck.
 
A more hated manager couldnt have been appointed . Despite that he did an exciellent job and now far from considering him as the FSW I now look upon him
with great respect and hope to see him bring the Barcodes back to the PL where they truly belong.

I think like you some of the time, and then his face comes on tv and I turn into @AshfordLad :lol:
 
Shedend is even worse mate. Full of that certain type of Chelsea fans that football has tried its best to flush out. Whats worse is that most young folk on there are chav wannabes too.
Haven't had any problem with the posts there in my years of lurking and posting every now and then though but aye!

Yes, what could be wrong with having one more team that raises their game to beat us every time. What could possibly wrong with that.

I'd say let them rot in the pits with that fat feck.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
 

I usually do not like interviews which are conducted by Lineker.
This one with Conte is also not a great, great interview, but okay. Conte still struggles a bit to express his thoughts properly in English.

I was a little bit surprised that before him the Chelsea players apparently were not doing a lot of video analysis of games.
 
Shedend is even worse mate. Full of that certain type of Chelsea fans that football has tried its best to flush out. Whats worse is that most young folk on there are chav wannabes too.
does anyone admit to using the official one on the Chelsea website?
 
How will they improve next season, and will anyone be able to get close to that even better version?
 
The league will get twice as hard for Conte next season with a huge target on their backs.I highly doubt he's going to be able to repeat this level of dominance. Having said that, he has been excellent this year.
 
How will they improve next season, and will anyone be able to get close to that even better version?
perhaps he might start changing to his favourite formation of 424 if he can get the right personnel in via fringe/loanees and the odd bought player
 
The league will get twice as hard for Conte next season with a huge target on their backs.I highly doubt he's going to be able to repeat this level of dominance. Having said that, he has been excellent this year.
We need to see the job out this season first. If we do that it's important the board aren't complacent and back Conte fully in the market. Our manager has done a hell of a job this year and deserves all his accolades.
 
Does it make me a bad person that I'll probably always be slightly bitter towards Marcos Alonso for the car crash?

Some part of me really begrudges his success.
 
Does it make me a bad person that I'll probably always be slightly bitter towards Marcos Alonso for the car crash?

Some part of me really begrudges his success.
A bad person? Why would you think that? He should have been jailed instead of having a one week fine

On 2 May 2011, Alonso was arrested following his involvement in a car accident in Madrid. He was the driver of a car that collided with a wall, killing one of the passengers, a 19-year-old woman, having been driving at 112.8 km/h in wet conditions in a 50 km/h zone, with a blood alcohol level of 0.93 mg per litre.[23][24] He faced 21 months in prison when sentenced in February 2016, but his punishment was changed to a €61,000 fine and a driving ban of three years and four months, which had already been spent.[25]
 
A bad person? Why would you think that? He should have been jailed instead of having a one week fine

I don't know, I normally try to go by the motto 'forgive and forget' but every time I watch him play it's brought up in my mind again.

Like you say, he should have got a far bigger punishment.
 
I don't know, I normally try to go by the motto 'forgive and forget' but every time I watch him play it's brought up in my mind again.

Like you say, he should have got a far bigger punishment.
Forgive and forget might be ok if he had a proper punishment. He got away with it pretty much because he's rich
 
Does it make me a bad person that I'll probably always be slightly bitter towards Marcos Alonso for the car crash?

Some part of me really begrudges his success.
I think any sane person would loathe a privileged millionaire who got away with murder.
 
Not sure whats the law regarding this in spain but its not like he ran over a pedestrian or something. The girl got into the car with a drunk driver so doesn't that make culpable as well. Its not like he was playing deathproof, could have very well ended up dead himself in the crash.
 
Not sure whats the law regarding this in spain but its not like he ran over a pedestrian or something. The girl got into the car with a drunk driver so doesn't that make culpable as well. Its not like he was playing deathproof, could have very well ended up dead himself in the crash.

She also was the only one in the car without her seatbelt on, everyone else was fine. Obviously it doesn't excuse Alonso but she was partially culpable.

Also noteworthy is that while he was over the limit in Spain he would have been legally allowed to drive in the UK. In Spain the limit is 0.05% BAC, the UK is 0.08%.
 
I wasnt impressed with Conte at Juve, particularly in Europe, but he has done well so far at Chelsea.

Next season will be the true judge as Pep, Klopp and Mourinho will be more settled at their respective clubs.

Chelsea current approach is physically demanding particularly for the 4 in the midfield. This worsen with less rest between games. Other teams would also have more time and video to prep.
 
Not sure whats the law regarding this in spain but its not like he ran over a pedestrian or something. The girl got into the car with a drunk driver so doesn't that make culpable as well. Its not like he was playing deathproof, could have very well ended up dead himself in the crash.

She also was the only one in the car without her seatbelt on, everyone else was fine. Obviously it doesn't excuse Alonso but she was partially culpable.

Also noteworthy is that while he was over the limit in Spain he would have been legally allowed to drive in the UK. In Spain the limit is 0.05% BAC, the UK is 0.08%.

Nice excuses. He was driving in Spain so not sure what the limit in England has anything to do with this.

Defend anything as long as the player/manager is at your club, blame player/manager for anything once he leaves. Surely you guys are on right track.